Celtic Stronghold Photo

Photographer’s Note

One thats been on my Hard Drive since last October. Was perched near a very steep drop to get this angle.

This little-known castle crowns a rocky outcrop in the hills northwest of Dundalk, Co. Louth. It was the seat of the De Verdon family, who first came to Ireland 1185. Castle Roche is known in the old records "Castlellum de Rupe" or de la Roche - the Castle of Rock.

An associated Manor Roche evidently fared badly for in 1316-17, it was reported that no profit could be received from the land, and by 1332 the castle was lying burnt at the hands of the Irish. Later, Roesha De Verdon married and the castle passed to another family with properties in Staffordshire, England. Like many other castles in Ireland, it was finally laid ruin by Cromwell.

Thanks for looking :)

Gary

daddo, Matthew-Watt, angela926, avishek_khan, marjan, romanaa, OLF has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

daddo (11363) 2008-03-27 17:21

Hi Gary. I love this weather beaten, burnt, abandoned, time encrusted old thing.Even the tree on the right seems to have weathered a few hostilities in its lifetime. Beautiful light, excellent details. I can almost see the ghosts of the oppressors and the oppressed.Wonderful composition. Regards. Klaudio.

capthaddock (28640) 2008-03-27 17:36

Simply beautiful, has a hint of HDR (is it?), the tree adds balance and what a light.

rhino (302) 2008-03-27 17:44

excellent - the angle really dramatises the scene
colour fab-o-licious

Matthew-Watt (4463) 2008-03-27 17:50

Hello Gary,

The quality of this image is premium, what incredible depth and detail this RAW image provides. The soft lighting is sensational; it really adds definition to the landscape, highlighting the magnificent colour range. The hue in the sky is brilliant, interesting to see the tree angled away from the cloud pattern. Sharpness is spot on, the framing is professional and the saturation perfect. A flawless image, very inspiring. Thanks for the effort.

Matt

angela926 (1882) 2008-03-27 20:18

Hello Gary,
Fantastic capture, beautiful vivid colors, very lovely lush green, excellent composition, good point of view, superb sharpness and depth of field, very nice textures in the stone. outystanding!
Angela

avishek_khan (422) 2008-03-27 22:11

Hi Gary,
Fantastic capture of this historical ruin amidst the lush green nature of Ireland. The POV is nicely chosen as you got the tree as a bonus.
Regards
Avishek

CaptainJack (0) 2008-03-27 22:59

Hi Gary,

Beautiful mix of natural surroundings with ancient ruins. Especially like how the wall creates that barrier with the shadow, against the more lit up ground.

Jack

jjcordier (24660) 2008-03-28 0:49

Gary
Une photo extraordinaire à tout points de vue (paysage, cadrage, lumière, couleurs et posttraitement.Bravo!
JJ

marjan (6081) 2008-03-28 5:40

hi Gary , wonderful composition and excellent motive. Nice dark tones make this shot more dramatic.
Marjan

gneufeld (15169) 2008-03-28 8:04

Hi Gary,
Stunning details presented in deep rich tones. Great perspective and awesome sharpness and great colors. TFS. Gerald

atsouth (253) 2008-03-28 9:44

hi, great lighting and composition!, the subtle sunlight on the castle and the ground looks v nice.

regards

Didier38 (710) 2008-03-28 10:48

Bonjour Gary,

Superbe lumière et belle composition, une belle vue.

Didier

romanaa (2551) 2008-03-28 13:12

Hello Gary,
great romantic view with a fantastic composition full of lovely details and light. The tree looks as if it was formed by strong winds.
Well done
Best regards
Romana

chawax (5957) 2008-03-28 15:33

Hi Gary,
Very nice shot. The light is wonderful, the colours are powerful and the framing is excellent and gives a good depth of field.
Regards,
Olivier

andywo (2851) 2008-03-29 11:39

Hello Gary,
what a fantastic place! Very beautiful composition and colours. Excellent done.

Congratulations
Andrzej

lopshang (628) 2008-03-30 4:04

Hi Gary

Great shot and a very good compositional weight. Good color and a very sharp picture. I like the POV too.

Regards,

Lopshang.

OLF (3908) 2008-03-30 4:38

Hi Gary,
All is perfect to hightlight that Irish landscape: well balanced, colors, sharpness, depth...
It is a very very good job!
Best regards,
Olivier

Photo Information

Copyright: Gary McParland (codiac) (3732)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-10-15
Categories: Castles, Nature, Ruins
Camera: Canon 5D, 17-40L, ND Grad
Exposure: f/13.0, 2 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Sights of Ireland, Favorites - landscapes 04, Le meilleur de l'Irlande [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-03-27 17:09